My first thought when staring at this blank Microsoft Word Document is that this entry will surely be the most irrational thing I’ve ever written for public consumption. I was devastated with what I saw from the Sabres when they played against the Senators the other night . This was supposed to be a bounce back game for the Sabres after two strait losses and disappointing efforts. If you were unfortunate enough to be around me during the game, you surely assumed I was bipolar, rapid-cycle. In the course of about three-hours, I felt both great about the Sabres and about as low as a fan could feel about his team. Ottawa brings that out of me. Watching the Ottawa Senators score goals on the Sabres has the potential to bring about a debilitating anxiety attack within me. I’m not kidding.
Before the game started, I posted the following comment on the Sabres-Senators pregame post on the prestigious WNY sports blog, The Goose’s Roost:
Ugh… I still hate Ottawa even though Bryan Murray is no longer coaching and Ray Emery is now getting himself out of position with a different team.
I hate the Sens now mostly because of their fans. Their passion is so genuinely hopeful not obnoxious or alcohol fueled like those of Montreal and Toronto. I realize how subjective that statement is but I really think they’re like us in more ways than we would like to admit.
When the Sens beat the Sabres, it gets me so angry because of the obvious history but also because the fans believe in them so completely. Why do they love them so much when the Sens are so obviously flawed!? The Sabres can never seem to overcome that during games in Ottawa.
And I HATE that inferno horn that goes off when they score at home. I feel like stabbing myself in the leg with a salad fork every time I hear it.
With that said, GO SABRES! I think they’ll win.
They lost. Honestly, I’m not a good enough writer to be able to adequately explain my hatred for the Senators. Another day, another time, perhaps. The Senators hater-ade that runs in my blood, I guess, has something to do with the fans. Mostly though, I was just being stupid and emotional. That’s what I was thinking about a few hours before the game, though.
Now, I know the Senators are a different team from when the rivalry was most fierce, but it honestly doesn’t matter. For some inexplicable reason, the Senators always seem to reveal and attack the Sabres greatest vulnerabilities in the same way that close contacts can force us to confront our own personal skeletons. The Senators know the Sabres. They know how to break the Sabres down.
The Senators, like the Sabres, have lost a lot of the prominent figures from those post-lockout teams. That’s not what this entry is supposed to be about though. Like always, the Senators exposed the Sabres for what they really are. I’ve been hinting at some of the Sabres weaknesses the past couple of weeks, but now they’re plainly out in the open like a scab that’s been peeled back.
The biggest problem with this Sabres team is obviously with the play of some of the more prominent forwards while playing even-strength. Derek Roy and Tim Connolly are the exceptions, in my opinion. They’ve both been positively contributing for quite a while.
To be a good scorer in the NHL you need to be able to either do one of two things: (1) get defenders out of position while you have possession of the puck or (2) be able to take advantage of scoring chances when defenders are out of position. It’s honestly that simple (OK, maybe not but work with me). Roy and Connolly are able to do both. Unfortunately, the other forwards that the Sabres are depending upon to score haven’t been doing enough of the former.
Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek need to start skating and creating open spaces for themselves and for others. They’re both good at scoring goals. It’s not enough though to just be good at finishing. When the puck goes to either of those two, at a nonthreatening scoring position, I expect that it will be taken away shortly, and they’re supposed to be two of our most dependable scorers. MacArthur is still trying to find his way as a featured scorer on this team and he’s been struggling lately, too. MacArthur, like Pominville and Vanek have been hard to notice. The Sabres need them to be difference makers.
These problems are especially prevalent when the Sabres are playing at even-strength. Ask yourself this: how often can you remember the Sabres scoring lines applying serious offensive zone pressure during even-strength situations? Roy and Connolly can’t do it all by themselves. Frankly, players like Vanek, Pominville, and MacArthur are just too easy to check. It’s not that they’re irresponsible with the puck, either. They’ve just not been creating enough chances. How often do those players ever set up a scoring opportunity, never mind a goal.
If Drew Stafford is given an opening to generate a scoring opportunity when he has the puck, he will take advantage and turn it into a genuine scoring chance. He’s able to take advantage of a weak defender. There’s something to be said of that. It’s better than what Vanek, Pominville and MacArthur have been able to do lately but the Sabres need all four of them to create scoring opportunities out of nothing but hard work and smart puck movement. I want to see them get defenders out of position whether by protecting the puck better or by using a clever deke or by making a smart pass. They all need to be better.
Let me just say this about the checking lines, too. They’ve generated a ton of opportunities, pinned opponents in their own zone, and scored more frequently than as to be expected. As far as the third and forth line forward lines go, the Sabres might have two of the best in the league. They fill their role and then some.
I don’t spend time looking at statistics often. It’s in my nature though for me to wonder when I notice something if it can be quantified. Saturday evening I couldn’t help but complain how inefficient the Sabres are at generating chances and scoring goals while playing on even strength. Sure enough, the Sabres have scored the second fewest even-strength goals in the entire league. The scoring lines are to blame for that low ranking, one-hundred-percent.